Requires Division of Family Development to establish and maintain registration system for persons applying for State's child care assistance program.*
What changed between versions
New self-attestation form system: applicants can establish presumptive eligibility by submitting a standardized form with income, household composition, residency, work/education/training participation, child birth info, and contact details. The division must not require pay stubs, tax returns, employer verification, or any other income verification to place someone on the waiting list.
New defined term 'presumptively eligible applicant' means a person who has submitted a completed self-attestation form proving they meet eligibility criteria and is awaiting determination for placement on the waiting list. This replaces prior references to 'income eligible persons' and 'qualified applicants.'
Final eligibility determination and certification is now explicitly deferred until the division processes the application for enrollment in the program, rather than being required at the time of waiting list placement.
Division must notify applicants of their waiting list placement or status change within 10 business days of receiving a completed self-attestation form. Failure to notify within that timeframe does not delay or prevent placement on the waiting list.
New report data requirements: average processing time for applications, average waiting list duration, geographic distribution of applicants by county, and total number of children by age represented by applicants.
Report now must include a new category for applicants determined ineligible, with aggregate reason categories such as income exceeding limits, incomplete applications, or failure to meet activity requirements.
Division must designate child care resource and referral agencies as access points to assist presumptively eligible applicants with completing and submitting applications and self-attestation forms.
Report publication frequency changed from annually to at least semi-annually.
Self-attestation form must be available in languages including but not limited to English and Spanish, either online through the DHS website or in paper form distributed by resource and referral agencies. Applicants may submit electronically, in person, through a resource and referral agency, or by mail.
